The general player base needs to improve

[RiyahArp]

If you ever played FFXI, a better suggestion would be to gate your level 70 quest behind a Maat fight..

Ma'at sucked. I went through him too, but he seriously sucked. His difficulty varied a lot depending on what job you challenged him at (I think RDM was the hardest) and what he taught had zero to do with your job, as opposed to reading a walkthrough and praying to god RNG wouldnt screw you. You actually didn't need him in that game; just surviving the leveling process alone made you skilled enough. Ma'aat was more like those BCNMs that seemed impossible to do but could be done only with fairly precise strategies, and relied on a fair bit of luck too.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

You're hearing only the survivors; a lot of people left over it, and don't really show up when we talk about it. This game actually has some seriously massive turnover.

Because Gordias was not properly balanced. Shifting Living Liquid to the fourth fight allows for an easier boss to precede him, thus better preparing players for the upcoming difficulty. I also specifically highlighted tweaking him a bit for balance sake. Regardless, you're also neglecting to mention 3.1 offered no content whatsoever. I would argue people quit more due to the fact outside of Savage you had the following...

Thordon EX
Void Ark
Diadem
Lord of Verminion

This content drought lasted for eight months. Considering Diadem and LoV were universal flops, it's far more likely people left the game due to the utter lack of content, especially since Savage has always remained somewhat niche.

They aren't a challenge. The only challenge is from roaming mobs, if you get two or more on you. When POTD came out, you didn't really spam aoes and ignore stuff, because you didn't have +99/99 gear that doubled your attack pool, nor did you confine yourself to the easiest floors to grind and ignore the tougher ones. You died then the same way you die at 101+, going too fast for random traps and getting too many adds on you.

That's not hard in any sense that it will teach you to play a class better, it's just now "standing in the fire" ends the run, so to say. And even it can be cheapened a little by the classes you take; get rid of DPS and its much easier, since tanks and healers have much more survivability.

Idk what people want, really. You'd need to make savage-styled content to teach people to be good at savage level play, because you can't learn to be good at a harsh dps check without a harsh dps check. You learn not to fall off platforms in titan or rav by being out the whole fight and dealing with the shame of it.

Ironically, you just described difficulty scaling. PotD got easier as you gained strength until it increased again to compensate. If dungeons followed a similar trend, Leveling would be the initial 1-100 floors that eventually get out-scaled while Expert compensates. Unfortunately, the latter has been rendered so braindead easy you scarcely require a pulse.

Actively punishing players for failing mechanics is teaching them—in the same sense making it devoid of any risk inventives ignoring them entirely. When I can get 2-3 vulnerability stacks as the MT in Kefka normal, why do I care to dodge his mechanics? They clearly aren't going to kill me. Now if after a single stack I took substantially higher damage—perhaps being forced back into tank stance—I'll care a whole lot more to avoid them.

You do not require Savage level content to learn the basics. A difficulty curves to steadily increase the challenge at a reasoned pace and can be seen utilized in numerous games. For example sake, let's grab Seymour from FFX. He becomes increasingly more challenging with each encounter assuming you don't overlevel, yet at no point is he ever unbeatable. DPS checks aren't what you need to learn going into Savage, especially as they aren't "harsh" by any standards. You need to learn mechanics and how to properly perform your job—all of which can be readily taught as early as dungeons. Alas, FFXIV refuses to relay any information towards the player and instead hopes better players just pick up the slack.

[h0tNstilettos]

You can't expect players to ever learn a fight completely if they are not taught the mechanics. This even applies to easier content like dungeons. Some mechanics are obvious and don't need explaining, but this game has a lot of mechanics you can't learn based on observation alone. Some even require certain players to intentionally stand in an AOE that logic tells you to avoid. I tell people when it's my first time doing a duty, and 80% of the time not a single person in the party bothers to explain the mechanics. Some I figure out and some I never can. You also have to consider that this game is very mechanic heavy compared to a typical MMO, so having a good memory is more important than player skill. When there are bosses with 9 phases divided into multiple mechanics each, it's beyond ridiculous. Some bosses can take many weeks just to learn the mechanics by heart, and that's just to memorize it all, then once memorized, serious skill based attempts can be made. Videos don't help as you still have to memorize everything. Players with less than stellar memories will take longer to learn. They can be just as skilled as you, but have a worse memory than you.

[Nestama]

I've mentioned many times before: I am a casual or mid-core player now, I don't like the "jume rope" things, had played too much of these in WOW.

Again, Extreme Primals is midcore content. Why else would I keep bringing it up? I recommend you try Lakshmi, Susano and Byakko Extreme.

Fun story, Byakko bugged out and got four people in my group KO'd (myself included). We contemplated on just wiping it, but instead we pushed on. Tank LB3'd as per usual and the healers gradually raises us. We still beat Byakko despite the huge DPS loss and we never saw Enrage. My static is also casual/mid-core, yet we still do Savage and Extremes because why not? It's fun and something to do.

[Bahati]

I can't say I'm paired that with many awful players in dungeons or raids. Let's keep in mind job boost is a thing and a new player can skirt by to 70 with storyline and dailies pretty easily.

[MoroMurasaki]

If you constantly get annoyed by others, just get a good FC and do everything in a static. Because I really don't think making this game harder will make players better.

The "if you dont like x about the general population you should only do things in a static" argument is a little dated at this point don't you think?

Don't like zero-DPS healers? Only use a static.

Don't like tanks that pull big? Only use a static.

Don't like wiping over and over to content of trivial difficulty? Well clearly the problem is not the people subjecting you to their poor play - it's you expecting them to be considerate of others! Use a static.

What's next? Don't like Miqo'te? Use a static.

God, it's so tiring explaining the same things to the same people over and over again.

[SenorPatty]

The "if you dont like x about the general population you should only do things in a static" argument is a little dated at this point don't you think?

Don't like zero-DPS healers? Only use a static.

Don't like tanks that pull big? Only use a static.

Don't like wiping over and over to content of trivial difficulty? Well clearly the problem is not the people subjecting you to their poor play - it's you expecting them to be considerate of others! Use a static.

What's next? Don't like Miqo'te? Use a static.

God, it's so tiring explaining the same things to the same people over and over again.

Aaaaand this is going straight into my possible future use of siggys.

Now if could just find AxlStream's original quote and I could get this ball rolling...

[MoroMurasaki]

Aaaaand this is going straight into my possible future use of siggys.

Now if could just find AxlStream's original quote and I could get this ball rolling...

<3

/10char

[Callinon]

The "if you dont like x about the general population you should only do things in a static" argument is a little dated at this point don't you think?

Don't like zero-DPS healers? Only use a static.

Don't like tanks that pull big? Only use a static.

Don't like wiping over and over to content of trivial difficulty? Well clearly the problem is not the people subjecting you to their poor play - it's you expecting them to be considerate of others! Use a static.

What's next? Don't like Miqo'te? Use a static.

God, it's so tiring explaining the same things to the same people over and over again.

I can't help it...

Don't like explaining really obvious things to people on a forum? Only use a static.

I'll show myself out.

[MoroMurasaki]

I can't help it...

Don't like explaining really obvious things to people on a forum? Only use a static.

I'll show myself out.

I am both amused and annoyed.

Thank you? I think...